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Michigan Preview

Kurt Busch leads Jimmie Johnson and a pack of cars during the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway.  [Credit: Brian Lawdermilk/NASCAR via Getty Images]

The Irish Hills of Michigan welcome the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this weekend as the Michigan International Speedway hosts the Pure Michigan 400 Sunday afternoon.

Michigan International Speedway Data
Season Race #: 23 of 36 (08-17-14)
Track Size: 2-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 18 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 18 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 3,600 feet
Backstretch Length: 2,242 feet
Race Length: 200 laps / 400 miles
Michigan is a wide two mile oval that often features three and sometimes four abreast racing as there is plenty of room for the drivers to establish multiple grooves around the track. In the past the Michigan circuit has been dominated by Fords, however at the last event here in June, Chevrolet drivers captured seven out of the top eight finishing positions.

The keys to winning at Michigan are keeping up the straightaway speed built up through the corners as well as having a correct fuel mileage strategy as the races here can feature long green flag runs, often times resulting in the car with the best fuel mileage coming home the winner.

Here are some drivers to watch Sunday in the Pure Michigan 400.

Kevin Harvick

(Dan Margetta): Where has Kevin Harvick been lately? After being the dominant car and team to open the season, the #4 bunch has been relatively quiet since their Darlington victory. They continue to make news off the track, having been fined and docked points for having a weight bag in the car last week at Watkins Glen. Harvick runs very well at Michigan as he has finished second the last three consecutive races. He drives a Chevrolet with potent Hendrick horsepower under the hood and is listed at 6-1 odds entering the Michigan event. Sunday represents a great opportunity for Harvick to get back into the championship talk by returning to victory lane at a track he has had recent success at.

Jimmie Johnson

(John Wiedemann):  Just two months ago, Jimmie Johnson took the win at Michigan, his third win in four races.  Since that win Johnson has scored only two top ten finishes in seven races and those were in the first two of those seven events.  Tire issues and other misfortunes have held Johnson back from the finishes that are normally expected from the #48.  Of course he is solid in making the Chase and the team may be experimenting, but the results haven’t been there.  This weekend will be interesting to see if the dominant Jimmie Johnson of two months ago returns or if this other guy that we don’t recognize shows up.  I expect to see the old Johnson back in victory lane.

Brad Keselowski

DM: No one wants to win worse at Michigan than hometown driver Brad Keselowski. Still looking for his first win in front of family and friends, Keselowski could represent Ford’s best shot at victory in the backyard of the American automobile manufacturers. He broke up the Chevy party at the front of the field at the last race here and is bringing the chassis the team used to finish second earlier this season at Dover. Keselowski and the #2 team continue to be on a roll and are in the thick of the championship battle with three wins already this season. They enter Michigan at 6-1 odds in Las Vegas and should be considered a threat to win this Sunday.

Ryan Newman

JW: Ryan Newman has hung up in the top of the point standings for quite a while now.  Last week’s huge wreck at Watkins Glen dealt that position a blow and Newman dropped to ninth in the standings.  Currently still safe in the race to make the Chase, Newman needs a good solid finish to bolster his position.  Newman has won twice at Michigan in 2003 and 2004 and a win this weekend would cement his spot in the Chase.  In the last race at Michigan, Newman started in the middle of the pack and slowly climbed into the top ten before finishing fifteenth.  A better run will be required this weekend, otherwise that Chase berth might slowly fade away.

Kasey Kahne

DM: Kasey Kahne is the lone Hendrick driver not currently in the Chase and Michigan could be a good place to change that as Kahne and the #5 team have shown plenty of horsepower this season to get the job done. Their problem has been closing the deal as many strong runs have gone awry late in races. Kahne is listed at 10-1 odds this week and time is running out to qualify for the championship battle with a victory. Kahne ran well at Michigan in June and finished a strong fifth and they have to be looking at this weekend as a prime opportunity to nail down a Chase spot with a victory. The question is…can they avoid hurting themselves and put together a complete race and actually close the deal?

Paul Menard

JW:  Richard Childress Racing driver Paul Menard picked up his second best finish of the season at Michigan two months ago.  With three sub 30th place finishes in the last three races, Menard has fallen out of the Chase mix.  These next four races are at tracks Menard has run well at and it will take solid finishes at each track for him to climb back into contention.  The other possibility would be to win this weekend at Michigan and that is not out of the realm of possibility.  It’s a longshot but it would not be a surprise, and a win this weekend would put Menard in the Chase.

Kyle Larson

DM:  Kyle Larson has been knocking on the door of his first victory all season and one of these weeks it has to come together as the team is definitely racing strong enough to pull it off. Larson finished eighth at Michigan in June and was second at the similarly configured California Speedway earlier in the season. A high speed track with multiple grooves seems to be a perfect fit to Larson’s driving style which centers on using the whole race track to find the place the car performs best. He comes into Michigan at 18-1 odds which is considerably better than any other of the rookies entered which shows the confidence the pundits have this team is close to a victory. Don’t be surprised if it comes this weekend at Michigan and watch for Kyle Larson to be a factor on Sunday.

Austin Dillon

JW: Michigan is the track that Austin Dillon has raced the most in the Sprint Cup Series.  Familiarity should help this weekend as well as Dillon’s resurgence as the series returns to tracks he has raced at before.  Dillon is on the edge of making the Chase and depending on first time winners taking victories in the next four races, could see himself along with co-rookie Kyle Larson making the field of sixteen.  All in all, this has been a successful rookie campaign for Dillon and a solid top five run this weekend would make it even better.

Greg Biffle

DM: The once dominant Roush-Fenway Fords have fallen a bit at Michigan. In years past, Greg Biffle would be a major favorite to win at the two mile oval but this season they enter at 30-1 odds. There isn’t a whole lot of good things going on in the Roush camp lately as not only have they lost Carl Edwards, but recently they also found out Biffle’s sponsor 3M is leaving for Hendrick Motorsports and Jeff Gordon. Nothing turns around a rough season more than a victory and Biffle and the #16 team have the experience and track record at Michigan to get the job done. A big question to be answered is if they have made the horsepower gains they lacked here back in June, but if the performance aspect is up to the task, Biffle could be one to look at for a possible victory to secure another slot in the Chase.

Martin Truex Jr.

JW:  It’s been a tough year for Martin Truex Jr. and the announcement that his longtime partner and girlfriend, Sherry Pollex, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer takes the difficulty of the season up another notch.  Truex will miss practice and qualifying at Michigan with Matt Crafton getting the car ready for Sunday.  Everyone at RacingNation.com wishes the best and our thoughts and prayers go out to Sherry and Martin as well as their families.  I’m still hoping Truex can turn the season around and believe he will do well this weekend.

 

2014 Chase Grid Outlook

Pos.
Drivers
Wins
Points
Chase Bonus Pts
1
 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3
773
9
2
 Brad Keselowski
3
696
9
3
 Jimmie Johnson
3
650
9
4
 Jeff Gordon
2
768
6
5
 Joey Logano
2
671
6
6
 Carl Edwards
2
658
6
7
 Kevin Harvick
2
645
6
8
 Kyle Busch
1
615
3
9
 Denny Hamlin
1
552
3
10
 Aric Almirola
1
532
3
11
 Kurt Busch
1
529
3
12
 AJ Allmendinger
1
525
3
13
 Matt Kenseth
0
703
0
14
 Ryan Newman
0
645
0
15
 Kyle Larson
0
635
0
16
 Clint Bowyer
0
634
0
Outside Looking In
17
 Greg Biffle
0
626
0
18
 Kasey Kahne
0
622
0
19
 Austin Dillon
0
616
0
20
 Marcos Ambrose
0
584
0
21
 Paul Menard
0
574
0
22
 Brian Vickers
0
573
0
23
 Jamie McMurray
0
566
0
24
 Tony Stewart
0
537
0
25
 Casey Mears
0
516
0
26
 Martin Truex Jr.
0
508
0
27
 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
0
447
0
28
 Danica Patrick
0
419
0
29
 Justin Allgaier
0
398
0
30
 Michael Annett
0
360
0
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